Low-flying Hawks about to be thrust back into the spotlight

It seems absurd that the AFL’s reigning premier, second on the ladder, could somehow manage to fly under the radar, but Hawthorn lately seems to have managed it.

Remember the Hawks? You know, the team supposedly about to crumble a few weeks back under the weight of injury to key players, then the loss of its coach through serious illness, trampled in the rush of newer, sexier aspirants to the throne.

The continued development of Brad Hill (right), seen here celebrating a goal with Ben Ross, has been critical to Hawthorn's contuinued success. Photo: Pat Scala

The football world is salivating over the potential for a grand final rematch between Sydney and Port Adelaide in the order of last Saturday’s classic, considers the major claims of a Fremantle gathering momentum, and keeps those seasoned Cats safe. But Hawthorn just bowls along getting the job done with minimum fuss, or it seems, exposure, its latest victory last Friday night over Carlton forgotten almost as soon as it had been played.

That’s about to change, however, starting with what looms as a season-defining clash with Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

It’s the start of a challenging run indeed as the race against time to get the likes of Sam Mitchell, Josh Gibson and Brian Lake match-fit in time for a gruelling finals campaign continues.

Beginning with the Magpies, whom they meet twice in the final 10 games, the Hawks take on no fewer than seven opponents currently in the top eight, and another in Adelaide pushing hard for a spot in the upper echelon.

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Compare that with Port Adelaide, Geelong and Collingwood, each of whom has only four games against other top eight teams, Fremantle, which has three, and Sydney and North Melbourne, which has just two.

The Hawks’ run into September is particularly tough, too, with Fremantle in Perth, Geelong and Collingwood to be negotiated in the last three rounds.

But it’s a path Hawthorn can travel at least confident that it could have hardly done much more to deal with the considerable obstacles that have bobbed up in its bid for back-to-back premierships.

This year has certainly paid testament to Hawthorn’s evenness and depth given the regular absences of not only those three premiership players already mentioned, but Cyril Rioli, Brad Sewell, Ben McEvoy, Ben Stratton, Liam Shiels and Ryan Schoenmakers.

Hawthorn has already used 34 players this season, the most of any top-eight team. Only eight Hawks have played every game. And they’ve been forced to field six debutants – Mitch Hallahan, Billy Hartung, Angus Litherland, Tim O'Brien, Luke Lowden and Derick Wanganeen. That figure is second only to a rebuilding Brisbane line-up.

The replacements have been able to help hold the fort very well. But it’s the spreading of the workload that has been most significant.

The continued development of Brad Hill has been critical to Hawthorn’s continued success, the skilled speedster averaging 23 disposals in the nine Hawk victories. Running defender Matt Suckling has barely missed a beat in his return after a year out with a knee injury, averaging 23.4 disposals in those nine wins.

Nine Hawks in total have averaged more than 22 disposals when their side has won. That’s a lot of possession. Yet the evenness is also borne out in the lack of Hawthorn names in the player-ranking charts.

While Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust and Jack Gunston all feature in the AFL’s top 10 goalkickers, they don’t have a lot of mates in other categories. In fact, of 27 other key performance indicators measured by Champion Data, only Suckling and Grant Birchall (effective kicks) and Hill (uncontested possessions) rank in the top 18. That’s the sort of evenness coaches crave, be it Clarkson or his stand-in Brendon Bolton.

Gradually, Hawthorn’s casualty list is shrinking, with Jordan Lewis on Monday tipping both Lake and Stratton as possible returns this week to help counter a suddenly in-form Travis Cloke.

The Hawks’ recent record against Collingwood offers plenty of comfort, too, having won 10 of the past 13 clashes, their last loss against the Pies the 2011 preliminary final, and even that only by a kick.

The stakes this time aren’t quite as big as that evening, but given Hawthorn’s run home and the traffic jam for a top-four spot, not a whole lot less significant. Important enough to ensure that while the Hawks have been doing it low-key this past month, they’re about to be thrown back into the spotlight in a big way.